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The Real Estate Beat

The Caton Team believes, in order to be successful in the San Fransisco Silicon Valley Real Estate Market we have to think and act differently. We do this by positioning our clients in the strongest light, representing them with the upmost integrity, while strategically maneuvering through negotiations and contracts. Together we make dreams come true.

Month: February 2018

The majority of renters say they want to own a home in the future and believe that homeownership is a critical piece of the American dream. But making the leap into homeownership is facing bigger hurdles as the market sees higher home prices and a shortage of homes for sale, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ newly released Aspiring Home Buyers Profile, which is based on findings from a survey of more than 10,000 households’ attitudes about the real estate market.

Non-homeowners surveyed say the main reason why they do not currently own is because they are unable to afford homeownership. Swift price increases and a shortage of homes for sale in most of the country have shaken the confidence of non-owners as they consider buying. As such, the share of non-owners who say now is a good time to buy fell to 58 percent at the end of 2017, following a high of 62 percent in the third quarter of 2017.

“A tug of war continues to take place in many markets throughout the country, where consistently solid job creation is fueling demand, but the lack of supply is creating affordability constraints that are ultimately pulling aspiring buyers further away from owning,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “These extremely frustrating conditions continue to be most apparent at the lower end of the market, which is why the overall share of first-time buyers remains well below where it should be given the strength of the job market and economy.”

Still, non-homeowners’ desire to eventually buy is not waning. They say the following goals most make them want to buy in the future:

•Change in lifestyle, such as getting married, starting a family, or retiring

•Improvement in their financial situation

•Desire to settle down in one location

Until they do buy, non-homeowners expect to face increasing rents. Fifty-one percent of renters surveyed say they expect their rent to increase this year. However, only 15 percent of renters said the increase in rental costs would make them consider purchasing a home.

“Housing demand in 2018 will be fueled by more millennials finally deciding to marry and have kids and the expectations that solid job growth and the strengthening economy will push incomes higher,” Yun says. “However, with prices and mortgage rates also expected to increase, affordability pressures will persist. That is why it is critical for much of the country to start seeing a significant hike in new and existing housing supply. Otherwise, many would-be first-time buyers will be forced to continue renting and not reach their dream of being a homeowner.”

The Caton Team strives to be more than just Realtors – we are also your resource. If you have any real estate questions, concerns, need a referral or some guidance – we are here. Contact us at your convenience. Info@TheCatonTeam.com

It’s true that loans with down payments of 20 percent or more cost borrowers less over time than low down payment loans. Low down payments leave larger principals to pay off, and those principals create more interest over time. Low down payment loans also require mortgage insurance.

However, a low down payment itself can actually boost affordability by getting you off the sidelines and into a home of your own sooner.

Let’s look at the numbers.

At current interest rates and based a median family income, you’d need about 22 percent of your income for monthly payment with a 20-percent-down mortgage and about 24 percent with a 3.5 percent down payment. And, should rates rise to 4.75 percent by the end of this year, a buyer putting 20 percent down would pay about 25 percent of his monthly income and a buyer using a low-down payment loan at 3.5 percent down payment would pay about 28 percent of the buyer’s monthly income.

While 20 percent isn’t necessary and isn’t even the average (7.6 percent), it will help reduce the monthly payment simply because your total mortgage loan is less than with a lower down payment. But, it’s important to evaluate the cost-benefit of a lower down payment.

Why low down payments help

Forgoing a low down payment today to save for a 20 percent down payment in the future changes the equation for first-time buyers. With home prices and rates on the rise in 2018, affordability will likely worsen in the months ahead.

In fact, a recent survey by Apartment List found that it takes many millennials a decade or more to save enough to make a 20 percent down payment. By that time, the costs of waiting so long will outweigh the advantages of a larger down payment.

Since 2012, it has been cheaper to buy than rent in most markets and rents today are consuming an even larger share of monthly disposable income. By the end of this year, rates could rise as high as 4.75 percent, and prices are forecasted to continue to rise in 2018. Rising rates and prices will increase the cost of a 20 percent down payment for those who delay.

In the Barriers to Accessing Homeownership study released in November, analysts at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center concluded that “with rising home prices and interest rates, access to sustainable mortgage credit is often only possible with low–down payment loans.”

Evaluate your options

Don’t aim for a 20 percent down at all costs. Yes, it can help drive down your monthly payment, but you also want to ensure you have a strong financial cushion when you become a homeowner. And, if you wait too long, you may end up paying more with a higher interest rate and home prices.

Search for homebuyer programs available in your market and for your personal situation. You may find a program that can help with the down payment and/or closing costs.

Find a knowledgeable agent or lender who is eager to teach — you want someone who can help you evaluate all your options.

For more data and information on down payment trends from a variety of sources, subscribe to our monthly Down Payment Report.

I have the pleasure of meeting first time home buyers of every age. Before I share this article – I want to say – Dream Big! Set Goals. Age is just a number.

When in Life Do Most People Achieve Ownership?

The average consumer’s life is filled with financial milestones, and buying a home is a major one. But when do most people reach the milestone of homeownership? Researchers at Comet Financial Intelligence, a student loan refinancing resource, surveyed 1,200 Americans on how long it took them to complete their financial “rites of passage” with homeownership and other savings hurdles. Among their findings:

•The millennial respondents surveyed say they expect to purchase their first home three years before paying off their student loans. As such, millennials may be prioritizing paying down their student loans before buying a home, and that may explain some of their delay into homeownership compared to previous generations, the survey says.

•The average age at which people buy their first home is 29.1 years old. Regardless of which generation they belong to, most Americans will be homeowners by age 35.

•Three-quarters of millennials surveyed do not yet own homes, and they will be 34.4 years old, on average, by the time they take out their first mortgages.

When consumers do become homeowners, they tend to feel a happy sentiment toward homeownership. Female homeowners surveyed showed greater feelings of excitement about a place to call their own. However, men surveyed expressed pride in their homes more often, the survey found. Recent studies have shown single women are buying homes at a faster pace than single men.

I share this article as I look forward to hearing the Chief Economist for the California Association of Realtors speak next week – I’ll keep you posted.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Caton Team would LOVE to hear your thoughts on our local real estate market! COMMENT PLEASE!

Could the Inventory Crunch Worsen?

Housing permits, a gauge of new-home activity, slipped in the final quarter of 2017, which could worsen a housing shortage already shaking many markets across the country.

Single-family permits are running at only 56 percent of normal activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index.

“We are concerned with the sluggish permit activity,” says Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders. “The weak permit numbers indicate that builders may be hesitant to start projects as they contend with supply-side hurdles, such as rising material prices and labor shortages.”

Permit levels are at or above normal in only 62 of the 337 metro areas tracked in the NAHB/First American Index, which is a drop of 7.5 percent compared to the third quarter of 2017.

Despite sluggish permits, the index showed that many markets are showing a stronger recovery in their economy and home prices. Housing markets in 195 of the 337 metro areas tracked nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity in the fourth quarter of 2017. The LMI measures three components: housing permits, employment, and home prices.

Employment is at 98 percent of normal activity, while home price levels are well above normal at 158 percent. Single-family permits were the only of the three components to see a decline in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Overall, the index shows the fastest-growing new-home metro areas are in the South and West, says NAHB Chairman Randy Noel.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Caton Team would LOVE to hear your thoughts on our local real estate market! COMMENT PLEASE!

The Caton Team strives to be more than just Realtors – we are also your resource. If you have any real estate questions, concerns, need a referral or some guidance – we are here. Contact us at your convenience. Info@TheCatonTeam.com

If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may be wondering: Should you purchase a small starter home to get into the market now, knowing you may grow out of it in a few years? Or, should you stretch your budget — or spend more time saving — to get a “forever home” that will take care of your long-term needs?

Here are some factors to consider as you weigh whether to get a home best suited for the short term or the long haul.

First-time homebuyer factors

Market conditions: Mortgage rates are historically low, but there’s no telling how long that will last. Also, many real estate markets nationwide are booming; consider whether to jump in before home prices get even higher, or whether they may weaken.

Where you want to live: Consider if you’d be OK living for a few years in the suburbs, where you might be able to find something more affordable, or if you’d rather try to snag a home in a different area where you want to live long-term.

How much house you can afford: It ultimately comes down to how much money you have saved and how much you can afford to spend on a monthly mortgage payment.

Homebuyer programs to help with financing: Find out if you may qualify for a homeownership program that could help you save on your home loan. There are about 2,500 programs available across the country that could help you save on your down payment or closing costs, or provide tax credits.

What kind of house you want: For a starter home, you might go for an apartment, condo or townhouse in an up-and-coming area. If you’re thinking forever home, a single-family detached or a house with land to build an addition later could be a better fit — but it’ll be more expensive.

The costs of getting out early: If you do spring for a starter house now, and you end up getting married or having kids or needing to move quickly, you may face penalties, such as capital gains tax.

Now, let’s dive into the details on what else you need to think about.

Starter home considerations

Your lifestyle: Do you want to be in the middle of a big city, or are you fine with the ’burbs if that means you can own a home? If you want to live centrally, where real estate is most expensive, you’ll probably have to start small. Dana Bull, a real estate agent in Boston with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty, remembers when she bought her first condo at 22, she could afford only one well outside of Boston, and she had some regret as she missed being in the city near her friends. Consider what you’re willing to sacrifice, both in terms of location and size.

Your future needs: Bull says many first-time home buyers assume they’ll be in a home much longer than they actually are. She says young, single people sometimes don’t realize how quickly life can change. A job switch, new relationship or new baby can alter what you need in a home.

Zachary Conway, a financial advisor with Conway Wealth Group LLC in Parsippany, New Jersey, adds that selling a house can be stressful — especially if you’re in the midst of major life changes such as having a baby.

So, if your life is full of flux and you think you would stay in your starter home for only 1 1/2 to three years, it may be less stressful to keep renting until you’re ready for something large enough to meet longer-term needs.

Capital gains taxes: If you set out to buy a starter home for the short term, be careful, Bull says. If you sell soon after moving in, you may owe capital gains tax on your profit from selling the home. That means you may want to think carefully about buying a home you’ll grow out of in less than two years. Consult a tax professional to see how this could affect you.

Consider an exit strategy: If you’re considering going the starter home route, you should think through from the start how you’ll offload it when the time comes to move, Bull says. For instance you might buy a property that you could rent out to cover your mortgage, especially during times of economic uncertainty, she says. This helps ensure you can cover your mortgage payment if you need to move ASAP, or if the market is weak when you hope to sell but you don’t want to take a loss.

You should also carefully research the area in which you’re looking to buy, Conway says, and confirm “there’s enough resale potential to make sure that even in a market that’s heading downward, you still have a likelihood of being able to get out of where you are.”

Forever home considerations

Interest rates: Conway says that if you decide to wait so you can afford a forever home, there’s a chance interest rates could increase from their current historic lows. “You might be able to scrape together some additional funds in the next few years, but maybe at that point, we may be closer back to historical norms of interest rates, and your mortgage is more expensive,” Conway says. Nobody can predict what will happen, but it’s important to keep a pulse check on mortgage rates.

Hot markets: In many major cities such as Boston, property values are rising rapidly, Bull says. There’s also a lot of uncertainty as to whether home values will plateau or keep going up, leaving first-time home buyers wondering if they should give in to the “feeding frenzy,” she says. If you wait in hopes of saving for a larger home, it’s possible prices will rise faster than you can save, she says.

Your cash flow: Considering your lifestyle and life events is certainly important, “but really at the end of the day, it comes down to the math of do we have the cash flow,” Conway says.

If you want a forever home, you have to ask yourself whether you can afford the larger down payment, and whether your salary supports a higher monthly mortgage payment. Conway says it’s key to create a budget and to carefully track what you save and spend, and to be sure you can afford a more expensive home. Don’t assume your salary will be higher in a few years and go for a bigger mortgage, he says. And don’t forget to factor in higher ongoing expenses like property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Don’t stress too much

While making the decision between a starter home and forever home is a major move, Bull says don’t fret too much about making the wrong decision. Remember, she says, “there are always options — you can sell, you can rent, you can put yourself in a position where you can go out and buy another house.”

Seriously. This spacious condo is situated in the Lauriedale Community in San Mateo. The condo complex features a lovely greenbelt, coin-op laundry rooms, gym, tennis court, pools, spa, and it’s close to El Camino and 101.

Located on the top floor at the back of the complex you enter into a large living area with cathedral ceiling, electric fireplace, private deck and dining area. The galley kitchen has extra storage and counter space, stainless on black appliances, full size oven range, microwave and refrigerator.

Now let’s talk about each wing of the condo.

The Master Suite on the right has a cool walk through closet, private bathroom, spacious bedroom area, with additional storage. The next Master Suite has a grand and private walk-in closet, lovely bedroom area with updated bath. Each bedroom has additional storage and tall windows. Each bathroom is updated, features a shower over tub, and linen closet.

There is assigned parking and plenty of extra parking, pool and laundry room within walking distance.

Contact us for further details… $40 application fee required be applicant.

The Caton Team strives to be more than just Realtors – we are also your resource. If you have any real estate questions, concerns, need a referral or some guidance – we are here. Contact us at your convenience. Info@TheCatonTeam.com

The Caton Team strives to be more than just Realtors – we are also your resource. If you have any real estate questions, concerns, need a referral or some guidance – we are here. Contact us at your convenience. Info@TheCatonTeam.com